“Decide What You Stand For,” Dean Koh Tells New Students

In his convocation address on Wednesday, August 27, Dean Harold Hongju Koh welcomed the 197th class of new students to Yale Law School, a place, he said, where the students would gain new power and along with it, great responsibility. He urged them to pursue law as a noble profession—striving for excellence while maintaining their humanity, serving the least privileged, and supporting and respecting each other. “Decide what you stand for,” Dean Koh advised, “and never let your skill exceed your virtue.”